Political Podcasts: Nine Shows, Sorted by Who Is Speaking

Political audio rewards skimming. Better to choose well.

Most lists of political podcasts sort shows by party and call it done. As a full-service podcast production agency, we look at how shows are built, and the biggest difference is who is speaking.

I read nine live Apple Podcasts pages on October 12, 2026, and sorted these top political podcasts by chair. Use it to find the best political podcasts and the best politics podcasts for how you listen. The table shows lengths and cadence side by side.

How I built this list, and what I left out

I used one rule for entry. To get in, a show needed a live Apple Podcasts page with fresh episodes on the day I checked, October 12, 2026. For each show I noted the publisher, hosts, episode count, rating and usual length.

I describe each show using the way its own Apple page describes it, not my opinion of its politics. Where a page names a movement or a background, I quote that fact. Where it does not, I stay neutral.

One show I removed is Honestly with Bari Weiss. Its Apple page lists a note saying the show was taking a pause, and its latest visible item is a two minute promo. It may return. I will not recommend a feed with nothing new in it.

I also looked at who is speaking on each show, because that is the best predictor of what you will hear. That led to the framework in the next section.

The Three Chairs: reporters, advocates and strategists

Political shows differ less by party than by who sits in the chair. I group them into three, and I call the grouping the Three Chairs.

• Reporters. A newsroom explains what happened and why it matters. The Daily and The NPR Politics Podcast sit here.
• Advocates. Hosts argue for a view, and often name their side. Pod Save America, The Bulwark Podcast, The Dispatch Podcast and The Megyn Kelly Show sit here, along with long conversation shows such as The Ezra Klein Show.
• Strategists. People who ran campaigns explain how the game works. Hacks On Tap and The Rest Is Politics: US sit here, with campaign veterans and a former White House communications director among the voices.

The same news story sounds different from each chair, and that is why the grouping helps. A reporter tells you the facts. An advocate tells you what to do about them. A strategist tells you how it will play.

The counterintuitive part is that a balanced diet is not made of two opposing advocates. It is made of one voice from each chair. If every show you follow sits in the advocate chair, you will hear a lot of arguments and very few facts.

Political podcast rankings: why I do not rank

Castos dates its politics list June 2023 under a 2026 title and gives no ranking method. Riverside shows no date at all. Vidpros says its shows were ranked by real data but never explains the weights. Its subscriber count for one host is 7.23 million in one place and about 6.6 million in another.

A reader cannot trust a ranking with no method. So here is mine. I do not rank. These political podcast rankings are groupings, not a leaderboard, and I say why.

• Apple does not publish listens. So I cannot name the most listened to political podcasts, and no list that skips this can either.
• Ratings measure fans, not accuracy. A show with 105,000 ratings and a 4.3 score is not worse than one with 1,059 ratings and a 4.4.
• What I can check is activity, length, cadence and who produces the show. Those are on each Apple page.

This is why you see lengths and cadence in the table and a pause note for the show I dropped. Those facts let you decide for yourself. If a list says top political podcasts but shows no dates, treat it as a guess.

Political podcasts both sides: how to read a show’s slant

Castos mixes progressive, conservative and cross-spectrum shows and does not assess balance. Vidpros sorts shows into liberal, conservative and unbiased, but does not explain how it labeled them. Its unbiased group includes hosts with clear leanings.

I avoid labels I cannot back up. Instead I use what each show says about itself on Apple, and I report it as the show’s claim. That is the safest way to cover political podcasts both sides read.

• Pod Save America names its hosts as former Obama aides.
• The Bulwark Podcast is described on Apple as coming from the Never Trump movement.
• The Dispatch Podcast calls its company nonpartisan. That is its own claim.
• The Daily and The NPR Politics Podcast come from newsrooms.

Readers often search for liberal podcasts or conservative shows by name. A fair way to do it is to read the About text, then listen to one full episode of each. Check how a host handles a fact that hurts their side. That one test says more than a label.

If you follow US politics podcasts from only one side, add a reporter show first. It is the cheapest way to test whether the arguments you hear match the facts. Add news podcasts from a newsroom, not another commentator.

The quick comparison

 

Lengths and cadence come from Apple Podcasts on October 12, 2026. Shows change schedules often, so check the page before you commit.

The reporters’ chair

1. The Daily

The Daily is The New York Times’ daily news show. Apple describes it as major stories told through the paper’s journalists, six days a week, with the tagline This is what the news should sound like.

The page lists about 2,700 episodes and a 4.3 rating from more than 105,000 ratings. Listed episodes run 23 to 42 minutes, though the About text says twenty minutes a day, so the two do not match.

It suits people who want one story explained well each morning. It is not built for the full range of politics. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

2. The NPR Politics Podcast

NPR’s reporters explain news from Washington and the campaign trail on weekdays, and aim to explain why it matters. Apple lists Tamara Keith and Miles Parks as hosts.

The page shows about 2,000 episodes, a 4.4 rating and a typical length of 18 to 34 minutes, which makes it the shortest regular listen here.

It suits busy listeners who want a quick, reported update. It leaves less room for long argument. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

The advocates’ chair

3. Pod Save America

Hosts Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor are former Obama aides. Apple says they break down the week’s news, explain what matters and suggest how listeners can get involved.

Crooked Media publishes it. The page lists about 1,600 episodes and a 4.5 rating from 85,122 ratings. New episodes arrive on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, running from 38 minutes to 1 hour 33 minutes.

It suits listeners who share its starting point and want to act on the news. It is plainly a point of view show. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

4. The Ezra Klein Show

Ezra Klein talks with guests about big public questions, from climate policy to the Republican Party to artificial intelligence. The New York Times Opinion section is listed as creator.

Apple lists 540 episodes, a 4.3 rating and weekly updates, with episodes between 31 minutes and just under 2 hours. Recent episodes focus on artificial intelligence.

It suits listeners who like one deep conversation per episode. Politics is only one of its topics. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

5. The Bulwark Podcast

Host Tim Miller leads a daily show that Apple describes as coming from the Never Trump movement. It offers news analysis, commentary, defenses of liberal democracy and long interviews.

The page lists 506 episodes and a 4.6 rating from 11,466 ratings. Full episodes run about 50 minutes to 1 hour 17 minutes, and paid members can get an ad-free version.

It suits listeners who want a daily conservative critic of the current right. Some items are previews of other Bulwark shows. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

6. The Dispatch Podcast

The Dispatch calls itself a nonpartisan digital media company covering politics, policy and culture. Steve Hayes leads the show with guests, and Jonah Goldberg, Sarah Isgur and David French are among the listed hosts.

Apple lists 679 episodes and a 4.6 rating from 3,495 ratings. The show updates weekly, with episodes of about an hour to 1 hour 17 minutes.

Best for listeners who prefer a calm, long talk about the week. Its audience is smaller than the biggest shows, so expect fewer reviews. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

7. The Megyn Kelly Show

Megyn Kelly hosts a news commentary show with political, legal and cultural guests. Apple quotes its own motto, No BS. No agenda. And no fear.

The page lists about 2,000 episodes, a 4.3 rating from 38,510 ratings and daily updates. Full episodes run about 1 hour 43 minutes to 2 hours 10 minutes, with short AM Update bonus items of 17 to 23 minutes.

Best for listeners who want a daily, long conversation. The cost is time. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

The strategists’ chair

8. The Rest Is Politics: US

Goalhanger publishes this show with Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci as main hosts. Apple says it looks inside White House circles and at how US society shapes the world’s largest economy.

The page lists 358 episodes and a 4.4 rating from only 1,059 ratings, a small sample. Regular episodes run from 18 to 46 minutes.

It suits people who want a view from abroad and from inside politics. Some pages say twice weekly and some say Friday, so check the schedule. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

9. Hacks On Tap

David Axelrod, Mike Murphy and John Heilemann are veteran campaign strategists who discuss behind-the-scenes strategy. Vox Media Podcast Network publishes it.

Apple lists 396 episodes, a 4.7 rating from 7,846 ratings and weekly updates. Episodes run about one to one and a half hours, and guests appear in many of them.

It suits listeners who enjoy the mechanics of campaigns. It is less helpful for policy detail. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

How to build a balanced subscription

Use the Three Chairs as a recipe. Pick one show from the reporters’ chair for facts, one or two from the advocates’ chair for argument, and one from the strategists’ chair for context.

 

Add a rule for yourself. If you notice that you only play shows that agree with you, replace one. Your own habits matter more than any list.

Who listens to news podcasts

Political podcasts are part of how many Americans follow the news. A Pew Research Center fact sheet reports on a survey run August 18 to 24, 2025. It found that 32% of U.S. adults get news from podcasts at least sometimes, and 10% do so often.

The split by party was close: 33% of Republicans and Republican leaners, and 32% of Democrats and Democratic leaners. Age matters more. Among adults 18 to 29, 39% get news from podcasts at least sometimes. The figure is also 39% for ages 30 to 49, against 18% for adults 65 and older.

So listeners cross party lines, but they skew younger. That matters if you plan to reach them. The Pew page does not define news from podcasts beyond the survey wording, so read the numbers as self-reported habits.

What producers notice about political shows

Political audio is a production challenge. Hosts react to news within hours, so the best teams build a repeatable process. A daily show cannot rely on a free afternoon to fix problems.

• Clear audio under pressure. Guests join from phones, studios and cars. A strong remote recording process keeps quality steady.
• Fast, careful editing. Facts in the episode must be right, because a correction takes more time than a good edit.
• Honest labels. The shows that last tell you who they are in the first minute.

If you are planning a show for a company or association, the same rules apply. A production partner can set up recording and editing before launch, and our podcast editing guide shows what careful post-production includes. Our remote recording guide covers the guest side.

For a business show, politics is rarely the right topic. Pick a subject where you can help the listener act. See our B2B podcast best practices guide for formats that fit.

What I cannot tell you

Video is also reshaping this genre. YouTube said in 2025 that more than a billion people a month watch podcasts on its site, though it did not define a viewer. For a team making a show, that means filming matters as much as audio. See what full-service production includes and our production services.

I cannot tell you which show is right or fair. Descriptions of a show’s background come from its own Apple page. Ratings measure fan scores, and the biggest shows often have lower averages simply because more people rate them.

I also cannot promise this list is balanced for you. Choose one show per chair, sample a single episode of each and keep the ones you trust. Our lists of comedy podcasts and true crime podcasts sort shows in a similar way.

Conclusion

Political shows are easier to choose when you ask who is speaking. A reporter gives facts, an advocate gives a view, and a strategist gives context. A good feed has all three.

Pick one show from each chair, play a recent episode of each and keep the ones you trust. If you are planning a show of your own, book a call and we can talk through formats that fit your goals.

Strategy-first. Production second. Growth always.

Sources

• Castos, Best politics podcasts (checked Oct 13, 2026)
• Riverside, Best political podcasts (checked Oct 13, 2026)
• Vidpros, Best political podcasts for every viewpoint (checked Oct 13, 2026)
• Apple Podcasts, The Daily (checked Oct 12, 2026)
• Apple Podcasts, The NPR Politics Podcast (checked Oct 12, 2026)
• Apple Podcasts, Pod Save America (checked Oct 12, 2026)
• Apple Podcasts, The Ezra Klein Show (checked Oct 12, 2026)
• Apple Podcasts, The Bulwark Podcast (checked Oct 12, 2026)
• Apple Podcasts, The Dispatch Podcast (checked Oct 12, 2026)
• Apple Podcasts, The Megyn Kelly Show (checked Oct 12, 2026)
• Apple Podcasts, The Rest Is Politics: US (checked Oct 12, 2026)
• Apple Podcasts, Hacks On Tap (checked Oct 12, 2026)
• Pew Research Center, Podcasts and News Fact Sheet (survey Aug 18 to 24, 2025) (checked Oct 12, 2026)